Cost of living calculator for comparing salaries between countries
Moving abroad, weighing a foreign job offer or comparing pay with friends overseas? This cost of living calculator tells you what salary in another country gives roughly the same standard of living as your current one. Choose where you earn, enter your salary, pick the country to compare with, and it shows the equivalent salary there — next to what a plain currency conversion would give.
The gap between the two numbers is the whole point. ₹12 lakh converted at the market exchange rate is only around $13,800, but because everyday prices in India are far lower, the same lifestyle in the United States costs closer to $60,000. The calculator uses the World Bank’s purchasing power parity (PPP) figures for household spending, covering more than 160 countries, and everything runs in your browser.
How to use the Cost of Living Calculator (Salary Comparison)
- Choose the country you earn in; its currency appears next to the salary box.
- Enter your salary and choose a year or a month.
- Pick the country to compare with.
- Read the equivalent salary, the market-rate conversion and how much higher or lower prices are.
- Scan the table for popular destinations, or press Swap countries to see the comparison the other way round.
Cost of Living Calculator (Salary Comparison) features
160+ countries
Every country with World Bank PPP and exchange-rate figures for 2024 or 2025, each in its own currency.
PPP and market rate side by side
See the equivalent salary and what a currency converter would say, so the cost-of-living effect is obvious.
Household prices, not GDP
Uses the PPP factor for household final consumption — the basket closest to personal cost of living.
Popular destinations table
US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, UAE, Singapore, Japan and more in one view.
Round trip
Swap the countries and the salary moves across, so you can check both directions.
How the salary comparison works
A PPP conversion factor says how many units of a country’s currency buy what one US dollar buys in the United States. Dividing your salary by your country’s factor gives its value in “international dollars”; multiplying by the other country’s factor turns it into that country’s currency with the same buying power.
Equivalent salary = your salary ÷ PPP(your country) × PPP(other country). Market conversion = your salary ÷ exchange rate(your country) × exchange rate(other country). Their ratio is the difference in price levels.
Example: with the 2025 figures, ₹12,00,000 a year in India ÷ 19.84 ≈ 60,500 international dollars, which is about $60,500 in the US, while the market rate (₹87.16 per dollar) gives about $13,770 — prices for household spending in the US are roughly 4.4 times India’s.
What this cost of living comparison does not include
- City differences: there are no city-level figures here. Mumbai, London, New York or Dubai usually cost more than their national average, especially for rent.
- Taxes and deductions: compare take-home pay with take-home pay. The UK take-home pay calculator, US paycheck calculator and CTC calculator help.
- Your own basket: school fees, health insurance, travel home and remittances can matter more than the national average.
- Recent price changes: the latest figures are for 2025 or 2024; World Bank PPP for years after its benchmark survey is extrapolated. Adjust with the inflation calculator if needed.
Cost of Living Calculator (Salary Comparison) FAQ
How much salary do I need in the USA to match ₹12 lakh in India?
About $60,500 a year buys a similar standard of living, using 2025 World Bank PPP for household spending — far more than the $13,800 a currency converter gives.
Is this cost of living calculator for cities?
No. It compares countries. Reliable city indices are licensed data, so this tool sticks to open national figures and says so.
What is purchasing power parity (PPP)?
An exchange rate that equalises buying power: the number of units of a currency needed to buy what one dollar buys in the US. It comes from international price surveys run by the World Bank’s International Comparison Program.
Should I compare gross or take-home salary?
Take-home is best, because income tax and social security vary a lot between countries. Use the same basis on both sides.
Why is the market-rate amount so different?
Exchange rates are set by trade and capital flows, while local services such as rent, food and transport are much cheaper in lower-income countries. PPP corrects for that.
Where does the data come from?
World Bank World Development Indicators (PA.NUS.PRVT.PP and PA.NUS.FCRF), updated October 2026, under CC BY 4.0. The results are a guide, not financial advice.